Many prior art media devices can receive radio broadcasts from such sources such as FM, AM or satellite broadcasts. With respect to headphones, wireless headphones receive music from media devices via a variety of methods, such as infra-red transmission, 25 mhz radio or 2.4 ghz radio transmission technologies such as Bluetooth. Media devices can transfer media files such as music and/or video files wirelessly between other similar media devices via similar methods. The transferring of such files is usually from one storage medium to another.
Despite certain advantages of the foregoing, wired headphones and/or earbuds suffer from limitations. Some such systems allow one user to share the music experience by passing one wired headphone or earbud to a third party. This shared experience, however, does not allow the third party to experience the full stereo experience of the music. Headphone adapter jacks exist for two wired headphones to be connected to the same media device but this also requires both users to be tethered close to the same media device. Shared music by transfer of media files from one storage medium to other storage medium often infringes upon third party intellectual property rights.
Most prior art wireless headphones do not allow users to share music from the same media device such as an MP3 player. Wireless headphones are also limited to the range of the wireless transmitter—consequently, users using wireless headphones cannot be too far from the source. Also, general transmission techniques such as Bluetooth are generally accessible to anyone having the capability to receive that data.
Audio sounds (e.g., music, news broadcasts, podcasts, etc.) can come from a variety of devices such as a digital media player like the Apple iPod®, a CD player or even a radio transmitting commercial radio broadcasts. Prior art teaching regarding sharing of such audio sounds received from such devices present is limited. A device which emits audio sounds can have two pairs of headphones tethered to the same device. Other devices may employ a wireless transmission of audio sounds, e.g. for a radio station, more than one person can listen to the radio broadcast by tuning their radio receiver to the proper radio frequency.
It is often desirable to obtain, communicate and/or store information about audio files. Most audio files in the popular MP3 and AAC formats contain identification information such as an ID3 tag. An ID3 tag is a data container within or associated with an audio file stored in a prescribed format. This data commonly contains the artist name, song title, year and genre of the current audio file.
With prior art digital communications devices that communicate audio sounds, information about the audio sounds is shared in a very limited way, if at all. Although the audio sounds may be shared in some systems, the ID3 tag (or such similar tag) is usually not. It is difficult, and often impossible, for the recipient of the shared audio sounds to identify the name of the song and the artist behind the song. There is also no way of knowing what are the next song(s) and previous song(s) that are on the device's play-list, or the number of songs.
In addition, a person who is receiving the audio sound may want to purchase the same audio sounds from a retailer but is unable to do so as he or she does not know the information behind the audio sound, e.g. title, artist, album, etc. A person who is receiving audio sounds may also want to know more about the person who or the device which is sharing the audio sounds.